by Alice Shaw
“I have an idea! Let’s get a drink,” he says.
I sigh loudly, feeling my heart ache. Henry doesn’t know what it’s like to lose love. He told me once that he’s never even felt love before. Sometimes, it feels like he isn’t human. I often find myself wondering how I eFinding Freddie is everything to me, and Frisky Pines was my only home.
“I’ll go with you, but I don’t think I’m going to be drinking anything but water today,” I say.
“We’ll come up with a plan. How’s that sound? Eh, old boy?” He smacks my shoulder, smiling. I smile back.
“Sure. Whatever you say,” I mutter.
In the pub, Henry slams down his fifth beer. He belches loudly and laughs. “Them blokes I was talking about yesterday. Remember them? They are just a bunch of low lives. A bunch of lunatics, I’m sure. But I guess we could head their way. I doubt there’s anything to them anymore. The blokes stopped with their public nuisances decades ago.”
I grab his glass and fill it up, while the bartender isn’t looking. “Go on. Keep talking. Who are they? What’s their purpose?”
“You’re a funny lad, Jonas,” he says, eyes starting to droop.
“Come on! I want to hear more. Do you know anything else about them?” I ask.
The bartender, standing at the corner of the bar, glances at Henry and me. He slowly dries a glass with a towel. “Ay, mate. I know them. One used to drink in this very bar if you can believe that!”
Curiously, the bartender sets down the half-dried glass and walks up to both of us. “Henry, I think it’s time you left the old pub. Your mouth is running again.”
I feel the tension between the two. “You two know each other?” I ask.
The bartender starts to show signs of annoyance. “I said, out, Henry.”
“Come on, Drake. We just had a few beers. Don’t mind us, mate. We’ve still got a couple of coins to spare,” Henry says.
I eye the bartender, cautiously. What is he trying to hide? I ask, “Why do you want us to leave so bad? We’re paying customers.”
Frankly, I’m not scared of anyone in this city. I grew up in Frisky Pines. These city-blokes haven’t experienced danger before.
The bartender, however, leans over the wood panel. He grabs my shirt and pulls me in close. “You’re asking too many questions, lad. I advise you to leave. Now.”
This time, I grab his wrists and show him my wolf fangs. “Get off me, partner,” I say. The beta lets go, holding his hands in front of his chest.
Then, looking around the bar, he makes up his mind. “The pub’s closed for the day! Now, I apologize, but something has come up! Everyone, out! Leave your coins on the table,” Drake says.
One by one, the people file out of the pub, but not without a fair share of complaints and swear words tossed his way. Drake whispers, “You two. You stay here. We have business to discuss.”
A cold shiver runs up my spine. He locks the doors and walks to the back of the room. “Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to follow me?” he asks.
Henry shrugs his shoulders. Reluctantly, I step forward. Drake opens the back door, revealing a set of stairs. “Are you going to murder us down there, or something?” I ask, impulsively.
“I have never killed anyone in my life,” he mutters. “Now, stop asking questions and follow me.”
Henry whispers in my ear, “Sounds like a delightful time.”
We walk down the cold, damp stairway. Downstairs, the room is cold and held together by old bricks. It’s full of bottles and barrels of ale Henry is drooling at the sight of it. Drake turns to face us.
“That stuff you were talking about upstairs. It’s massive. It’s bigger than anything you know or could handle,” Drake says.
“Brilliant,” Henry whispers.
Drake is antsy. “No. Not bloody brilliant. In fact, it’s the opposite.”
I want him to know that I’m not here to hurt anyone or blow anyone’s cover. I’m just here to find my mate and get the fuck home. “I can handle bigger than this. Back home, I’m the son of a chieftain. My brother is a great hero. You saw my teeth, right? I think you know who I am and what I’m capable of.”
Drake clears his throat and sits down against a barrel of alcohol. “Yeah. That’s what I was worried about. There’s more to this than you’ve been let on.”
“Like what?” I ask him. Henry looks flabbergasted.
“Some bloke came in here once. Now, I’m talking about years ago. You understand? He said to me, ‘one of these moons, a jaguar shifter is going to walk into this pub. Of all things, a rare jaguar shifter! He’s going to ask you some questions about something called the brotherhood. And when he does, you’re going to give him this key.”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a large, silver key. It looks ancient. Across the edges are the letters: “F.P.”
He smiles. “Now, what do you think that means?”
“Frisky Pines,” I whisper.
Henry groans. “Oh, bollocks. Not this again. You guys are both loons!”
Drake holds out a hand to shut Henry up. The bartender looks confused, though. “Frisky Pines? I’ve never heard it mentioned before. It sounds like a bloody retirement community.”
I get a bit defensive. Frisky Pines is an incredible place. It’s practically a symbol of peace, really. “It’s not a retirement community. It’s my home and I need to get back to it.”
Drake scratches his chin, thinking to himself. “Well, the key’s initials stand for some latin mumbo-jumbo. Something like Fratrum Phoenix. Who knows? I never fancied languages.”
Henry laughs. “What? Like, the Brotherhood of the Phoenix? Sounds like more rubbish!”
But I know better. My eyes are about as wide as peanut butter cups. “The Brotherhood! Are you serious? This is real?”
“It’s real. You know of this brotherhood?” Drake asks.
I try to control my emotions, but my heart is beating way too fast. I miss my brother Jackson. I miss his mate, Logan. I miss my dads, Jergen and Alste. “Freddie is here. He’s searching for me. He’s as lost as I am. I know it!”
Drake grabs my shoulders to calm me down. “What’re you talking about, old boy? Who is Freddie?”
I stabilize my breathing and sit down, closing my eyes. I start to feel centered in this damp room. “I know the truth. But you won’t believe me if I tell you. Henry sure didn’t.”
Henry frowns and paces the room. Drake lowers his voice and says, “Well, I’m not Henry. I’m not claiming to be the most understanding man in the world, but I can damn well try to listen. I’m on the outside of all of this. I suppose you could call me a messenger. It was just one little guy. He came in, told me what I needed to know, and walked out.”
I gulp down, feeling weak. Nothing makes sense anymore. Though, I guess this is what my brother felt like when Logan told him about his visions. I need to stay strong for my alpha. Maybe Freddie already has a plan.
“This isn’t exactly the world I grew up in,” I explain.
Henry laughs again, so Drake punches him in the arm. “Settle down or I’ll sock your jaw next time, lad,” he says. “Go ahead. You may continue.”
“It’s hard to even put it into words. About a year ago, a group of us were sent on a journey to save our town, Frisky Pines. There was a great fire that split the whole state in half. It was horrible. My brother’s mate received visions from the outer realm. He was told he was the chosen-one. He had to confront our town’s shaman in order to sew the rift between our worlds.”
I nearly give up explaining it. It sounds so crazy. “I know. It doesn’t make sense. No one here believes me. It’s like I said. This isn’t the world I was born in.”
Drake kneels down beside me, patting my shoulder. “You’re right. You do sound a tad bit crazy. Then again, I’m 65 years old. That’s enough time to witness a lot of crazy shit happen in this city. 30 years ago, that short man walked in here and gave me a key. I thought he was crazy too. But
here you are. And now I’m thinkin’. Maybe this is my destiny. Maybe, just maybe, I was supposed to give you this here key.”
Henry smiles. “Perhaps the world’s fate rests on our shoulders,” he says.
Drake angrily looks at him. “Your shoulders? Like hell! It was only a minute ago you were against the poor lad! Now you want to help?”
“It’s okay,” I say, smiling. “I’m practicing forgiveness. Besides, I think he has some answers.”
Drake’s eyes crease forward. He sits up and listens intently. “What kind of answers?”
Henry has managed to uncork one of the barrels of alcohol. Somehow, he has found a dirty glass to fill the contents with. He takes a big gulp of beer and laughs loudly. “I know where this de fatrum phoenix group hides out. I said it yesterday, didn’t I, mate?”
Drake quickly runs up to snatch the glass away from him. I grab both of their shoulders. “We’re going to be a team. Got it? No more fighting. We have to stick together.”
“Fine by me,” Henry says, winking at Drake.
Drake spits onto the floor and lets out a raspy, ill-fed laugh. “Fine by me, lad.”
“Good. We can start by searching around this airpark Henry suggested.”
Both of them nod. I close my eyes and feel the weight of destiny press against my shoulders. I never expected to be pushed like this. Because our town was okay, I thought I wouldn’t have to worry ever again. Well, nothing good has ever come easy. And I’m done moping around.
Freddie. I’m coming for you, my alpha. And when I see you again, you better be ready for a night of snuggling.
Chapter 4
Freddie
Sean sets down the bottle of ale and frowns. Whatever he’s about to say is not going to be something that I want to hear. “So let me get this straight. You want the week off to go around, exploring some radio tower because you heard voices in the tube?”
I cross my arms. “Yeah. That’s about right.”
“Have you lost your head? No, seriously. I want to know. Next thing I know, you’ll be teaching my grandfather how to suck an egg,” he says, laughing loudly.
His breath is putrid. I take a few steps back and grimace. “So you won’t do it?” I ask.
“Look, bub. You’re creative. I’ll give you that. But you can’t take off a whole week, just to go exploring some old tower. You see, the thing is, I don’t care whether the voices were real or not. It’s not my job to care. My job is to keep this old pub here running smoothly,” he says.
The trickster in me has to make a joke. “As smooth as the eggs your grandfather keeps sucking on?”
Sean’s eyebrows furrow. His cheeks turn red and fiery. “Hey!” I duck under his grasp and run through his legs. Trying to grab ahold of me, he trips on himself. I run out of the pub, never looking back.
“Oh, you’ve really messed things up this time!” I yell at myself, jumping into a cab.
“I need you to take me to the old airpark. You know the one? With the signal tower sticking out of the ceiling.” I toss the man double the payment for the ride.
The driver turns around, smiles, and puts the car in gear. “Certainly, sir,” he says.
The car speeds off into the distance. I have no idea what I am doing, but it’s better than working at the pub. I am done staring at old newspaper clippings at home. I want the old brotherhood back. I want to kick some butt again!
I reach into my back pocket and pull out the note again. A smile stretches onto my face. I close my eyes and lower my head in silence. What do I really want? Does it even need to be said? I want my omega, Jonas. I want to feel him again. I want to smell him. I want to pick his brain apart. He was always so fucking smart.
It’s about an hour’s journey to get to the old airpark, but the time rolls by quickly. I’ve been in this stinkin’ city for about a year now. An hour is nothing.
“Thanks,” I say, as the cab pulls up to the grass. “You don’t know how much you’ve helped me today.”
“Are you sure this is where you want to be, sir?” the driver asks.
“There’s no place I’d rather be,” I say.
I close the door and listen to the tires rolling against the damp pavement. In front of me is the old airpark, barely even standing. Surrounding the airpark are a set of large bushes. The grass is unkempt and wild. It doesn’t look like anyone has been here for ages.
“This is it,” I whisper. “It has to be. I can feel you nearby, Jonas.”
I walk up to the fence and carefully look for a weak point inside. There’s nothing that I can see, so I circle the property. “What am I going to do?” I ask myself.
I look at the ground. There’s a patch of wet soil nearby. I nod my head, understanding what to do now. Shifting into my wolf form, I paw at the ground, until I make a thick enough trench to house my body. I crawl under it and shake the mud off my fur.
“Bingo,” I whisper.
Ahead of me is the old radio tower. It sticks out of the building’s ceiling triumphantly. Now, I just need to get inside.
Crash. The small, dirtied window in front of me smashes in easy with a rock. Only, I didn’t throw the rock. Someone else did.
“Wait!” I yell. A small man in a hood jumps the fence and escapes into the forest.
“Who are you?” I call out. Still, no response. The trees only rustle and the silence continues. “Who in the heavens was that?”
A cold shiver runs up my spine. This whole thing is getting a little spooky.
As I walk up to that window, my memories flash before my eyes. “It’s a trap,” Genesis told Jackson, in the tunnel with Humas.
Even though this feels similar, I can’t turn around now. Going back home to my flat would mean giving up and apologizing to my boss Sean. I just can’t do that.
I step inside the window, falling face first onto the old, dirty floor. “Ew,” I moan. I dust myself off and walk toward the stairway.
People used to live in this area. They could fly in and out whenever they wanted. I guess technology just caught up with them. The city became the better choice. Now, it’s a ghost town.
On the walls are pictures of the houses that used reside here. Families stand outside, waving. At the end of the hallway, however, is something much different. There is a table with a vase of roses. They’re brand new, and they look garden-grown.
“What in the…” I reach out take one rose in my hand. I sniff it and put it back. Above the vase is a framed picture, nailed to the wall.
It’s a beautiful, yet strange picture. On the right-hand side is a broad mountain peak. At the edge stands a wolf, howling at the full moon. Below him is an old cabin. The lights are on inside, but no one seems present. In the front yard is a smoking cauldron, possibly where food cooks.
“I don’t like this at all,” I whisper.
I quickly turn away from the picture and shove my body through the door, leading to the stairwell. I make my way up, one foot at a time. Each step that I take freaks me out. It’s dark in this hallway, and even though I have fantastic vision, I can barely see in here.
I breathe calmly. I just keep walking. I’m not going to give in to the fear. When I finally get to the top, I reach the door. I grab the handle and twist it, but it’s locked.
“No way. You have to be kidding me!” I grunt and bite my lip.
“Who are you, traveler?” A voice says.
I turn around to see who’s talking, but the darkness overcomes me even more. “Don’t fret. Just answer the question. What is your name?”
“Go suck an egg!” I yell, turning back into my wolf form. I feel my claws and teeth grow sharp.
“Ah. Now we’re getting somewhere. So, you’re a shifter? There haven’t been too many around these parts lately,” the shrouded man says.
I sniff wildly, feeling some of my abilities coming back to me. “What’s going on here? Where am I? What happened to my television?” I ask.
“Step aside, and I’ll show you,” he says.
My nose is going crazy. I smell meat, cheeses, wine, and…
“Where are we? Something is happening to me,” I say.
The man unlocks the door, but before opening it, he whispers, “That’s because you are home.”
The door slowly pushes open to a massive feast. Even a fire is going in the fireplace. Directly in the middle are three other cloaked men.
“I’ve found him,” he says.
I feel my fangs jut out when he says it. A growl escapes my lips. “Show yourselves!”
All four of them snicker to themselves. I don’t know if I should strike at them or run away. One of them stands up and walks toward me. “Is it true? Are you really Fred?”
“Freddie,” I growl. “The name is Fredd-ie.”
The man lets out an exalted gasp. He falls to his knees. “Oh, my boy! We’ve finally found you!”
And then it hits me. Their scents. It smells like… home.
“No,” I whisper. “What?”
All four of them throw off their black hoods. They face me, smiling. “Yes, son. It’s us. We’re your family. Welcome back.”
Chapter 5
Jonas
“So you really think you’ll find something here? People abandoned this place ages ago,” Henry says.
I nod and continue walking through the grass. “It’s just something I feel. I have to see what’s here.”
Drake has been quiet for the whole trip. He’s got this dark look on his face. When we get to the outer fence, he finally speaks. “I have the same feeling, Freddie. I don’t know what it is. I just know that my life is about to change forever. It’s almost as if I’ve been waiting for this moment since I was a child.”
He takes out a pair of wire cutters and snaps the blades against the fence. “Here we go,” he says. “It’s just through here. Be careful. We don’t know what lay on the other side.”